The Shackle Headed King
by AClockworkLove
Summary: A man masquerading as a butterfly plays a large part in the plot of Heroes: Reborn. That butterfly is Gabriel "Sylar" Gray, motivated by the need to protect what's most important to him- His son. Set after the Odessa Summit. This is actually about Heroes: Reborn.


The world may be new, but it was far from brave. Non-Evos showed how little they truly understood of the Evo race on bumper stickers and picketed signs, in the little actions they took like arranging impromptu firing squads, or lighting Evo sanctuaries on fire. That was cowardice as a definition. Idiocrasy, though, was which plagued the Evo race. So few went into hiding, fleeing America, fleeing cities, and now it was a group burden to protect the ones who hadn't taken the initiative. That was the purpose of the meeting, to fill in the gaps for those Evos who failed to disappear.

In this strategic meeting that took less than 30 minutes, they had chosen their martyr- befittingly placed on Doctor Suresh. He'd already been an outspoken supporter of Evos- no one would question it. Angela had also encouraged and advocated for it, to some extent. The goal from a former lifetime, though circumstances had changed dramatically, remained the same.

 _Save the Cheerleader. Save the World._

Which is why Claire was currently being dealt with elsewhere. There seemed to be a parade of children, or the generation below him, that were being sent elsewhere as the ones more involved in planning argued about courses of action. Gabriel was feeling particularly on edge, waiting for them to assign him his sentence. They'd already cut off his legs, in an emotional sense.

He didn't even get to explain to Noah what was going on. The young four year old boy already knew so little- Gabriel tried to shield him from as much as he could after walking in on the scene that had occurred prior to his son's adoption. A young Evo couple, a tiny five month old baby against the cowardice, evophobia.

Little hands wailed and reached up for him. Not unlike those same hands reached up for him moments before the explosion. Not unlike the wail that was still causing distress for Gabriel, the one that occurred when Hiro pulled the toddler from his arms before Gabriel could determine how to fix the little bits of damage (mostly a few scrapes, and a lot of fear).

Gabriel tapped his fingers on the table. Noah was speaking, the Bennet one, at him. There was still plenty of animosity between the two. But right now, they tolerated all present, past, and future differences because this involved their children, and how to protect them. "Do you understand, Sylar?" Noah demanded.

Gabriel glared at the man. Of course he understood. But did he have to like it? There was no way for Bennet to control that. "I understand, be your carrier pigeon." But he had to admit, this would be an opportune time to toy with Bennet.

If only he wouldn't be able to remember past events, not just this day. That'd make being this messenger boy more bareable. He could do to Noah what was done to him. To twist at the other's mind. That also, was a lifetime away, but sometimes- now especially, without his son as an anchor- the hunger came back full force. With that, the need for revenge came as a close second.

Safety was promised to the children, to Noah, and Claire, and Molly. Even though Matty Jr. wasn't there, it was assumed that the protection laid in place for the others extended to him. That was his only reason for agreeing, though he believed Noah to be safer with him, he didn't have much of a say otherwise.

Instead of taking a human form, which Sylar felt would only complicate things that didn't need to be more complicated, thus restricting his ability to move freely, or the form of the traditional carrier pigeon, he chose a butterfly. More specifically a monarch butterfly. He liked the symbolism- he was a king, important because he possessed a number of abilities. Abilities that would allow him to push the limits, to phase in and out of control at leisure.

He watched over his charges. Noah, on his way to the truth, though that wasn't a part of the plan. Sylar had to admire it. Nothing could ever get in between that man and his daughter- Sylar could relate. He'd seen Noah, his Noah, a few weeks back, against everyone's wishes. But his little boy was doing well, all things considered. He was a brave child. Though he couldn't answer when they could be together permanently, he assured Noah it'd be soon, right after he saved the world.

The last part was to make Claire cringe. His sacrifices were for her, mostly. Evos as a whole, but some reason, saving her would save the world. It was no longer her innocence, it was no longer the threat of him. But she was supposed to inspire hope, to foster communication.

"After I save the world for you," Gabriel assured Noah, "just for you."


End file.
